Real Name

History: Very little is known about the past of the man now called Vermin except that he has described himself as a child of the New York streets. At some point, he was picked up off the streets by Baron Helmut Zemo, the son of a Nazi scientist, and Arnim Zola, the master Nazi geneticist, and subjected to a process that bestowed upon him various ratlike traits and attributes. Able to command rats and other wild beasts, Vermin was dispatched by the pair to stalk and kill their long-time enemy Captain America. After randomly slashing a cab driver to attract attention. Vermin encountered Captain America in a rundown area of Harlem, and despite unleashing a pack of rats against the Avenger, Vermin was overpowered. Captain America took him to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters for questioning, but Vermin somehow managed to escape shortly afterwards. He then rendevouzed with Zemo and Zola, who took him to Zemo's headquarters in Mexico. When Zemo had captured Captain America himself, he decided Vermin's usefulness to him was over. He then shackled Vermin next to the Captain in a dungeon and set loose two of his more powerful mutates upon them. Vermin slew one of the mutates and escaped the chamber. He stole aboard Zemo's escape craft, and when Zemo fled from the castle sometime later, Vermin attacked Zemo viciously, wounding him.

Returning to New York, Vermin once again prowled the city streets, finally going on a rampage during the San Gennaro Festival in the Little Italy section of Manhattan. He was apprehended by Captain America and Spider-Man and turned over to local authorities. Vermin is currently in a high security mental institution

Height: 6 ft.
Weight: 220 lbs.
Eyes: Red
Hair: Brown
Unusual Features: Vermin has inch-long claw-like fingernails, razor sharp, pointed teeth, and fur covering most of his body, giving him the appearance of a human rat.

Strength Level: Vermin possesses superhuman strength enabling him to lift (press) approximately 1000 pounds under optimal conditions.

Known Superhuman Powers: Vermin possesses superhuman strength, speed, and agility. He can run at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour for half hour without tiring appreciably. His teeth and nails are strong enough to gnaw through wood, fibers, and even soft metals (like lead) within minutes. Vermin's sense of smell is also acute like a rat's, enabling him to detect the approach of other organisms from well over 100 feet away. Vermin can communicate with and command rats and stray dogs within a radius of two miles from him. On several occasions he has commanded hundreds of sewer rats to attack an enemy. The manner in which he commands these creatures is unknown, although it is more likely hypersonic than telepathic in nature.

Vermin's genetic alteration has diminished his mental faculties to subnormal human levels. Vermin is still capable of speech, but his reasoning ability has degenerated to the level of primal instincts. Vermin is capable of great savagery, and when provoked or threatened, has phenomenal resistance to pain and fatigue.